A madcap comic caper has arrived on the stage at the Ivoryton
Playhouse with Ken Ludwig’s wacky murder mystery The Game’s Afoot. The talented cast has taken its cue from
Playhouse Artistic Director Jacqueline Hubbard, as each actor blithely chews up
the scenery, hams up the lines, and generally has a good time emulating the
dated outrageous acting techniques of the 1930’s. Hubbard’s deft direction makes for fast-paced
action in this outrageous comedy.

This is a fun night in the theater, designed to be taken tongue-in-cheek,
laughed at and enjoyed, leaving all worries and problems outside of the
historic playhouse. And, when it comes to set design, the comedy takes place in
a brilliantly designed and built replica of the great room in Connecticut’s own
historic Gillette Castle – thanks to Scenic Designer Daniel Nischan and his
masterfully brilliant crew of builders and carpenters.

William Gillette, the legendary actor and playwright who brought
his interpretation of Sherlock Holmes to the New York stage, is played by Craig
MacDonald with the theatrical hysteria so prevalent in days gone by. Mr.
MacDonald emulates a thespian of the most dramatic order. Playing to the last
row of the balcony, his dramatically exaggerated gestures and vocal gymnastics
are what would be expected of Mr. Gillette himself.

As Gillette’s dotty mother Martha, teetering on senility, Maggie
McGlone-Jennings, gives a performance bordering on sheer madness. Mama Gillette
is not happy that son William has invited a gaggle of actors to the castle for
the 1936 Christmas holiday, especially since their butler has been given time
off and she will have to do most of the serving herself. Her indominable presence is felt keenly by
all the invited guests – she sarcastically competes with the females and flirts
coquettishly with the males, all the while doting on her adored son.

An attractive young acting couple from Gillette’s stock company,
Aggie and Simon (Molly Densmore and Erik Bloomquist) sweep onto the scene with
giddy sophistication and blatant charm. Ms. Densmore plays the beautiful
ingénue with a lovely innocence, while Mr. Bloomquist perfectly acts the
quintessential matinee idol: bored, blasé, ’prettier than thou’ and obviously a
cad. Dressed to the nines, they are the perfect couple. Could he be a murderer?
Could she?

Katrina Ferguson as Madge and Michael Iannucci as her husband Felix
are the older married duo come to the castle for the holiday celebration. They, too, are actors, and Felix professes to
be Gillette’s best friend – although they seldom agree on anything, and often
compete ferociously. Ms. Ferguson convinces us that she is the epitome of a
glamourous leading lady of the Broadway stage of 90 years ago. Her character delights at the absurdity of
their weekend in the country in Gillette’s enormous and eccentric castle. Mr.
Iannucci’s time to shine comes in the second act, with a murderously funny game
of hide and go seek (a dead body, that is). He’s all over the stage in a
frantic effort to keep things hidden from an investigating police woman.

That woman, Inspector Goring, is summoned to the castle in
error, but proceeds to try to deduce who is who and what crimes have been
perpetrated, with little help from the weekend guests. Victoria Bundonis plays the practical-yet-star
struck inspector who has a fuff-fuff English accent, although she is intended
to be with the Middlesex County Connecticut police! Another nutty way that this comedy is all
about things that are not as they seem, nor do we want them to be. Could the
lady inspector be a homicidal maniac from Newcastle or a Midsomer murderer?

The final guest to arrive at the house party weekend is gossip
reporter and theater critic Daria Chase. She is hated by every guest for having
reviled them viciously in her newspaper column. Without a doubt, Beverley J
Taylor as Daria gives a tour de force performance in this mad comedy. From the
moment she appears, in a perfect wig by Elizabeth Cipollina, all eyes, on stage
and in the audience, are upon her. The eyes of the on-stage characters have
daggers in them. Ms. Taylor, as Daria, commands the stage with the grace of a
swan, and delivers each line with the honeyed drop of venomous poison.

With lighting design by Marcus Abbott, sound by Tate R.
Burmeister and costume design by Kathleen T. Gephart, this team creates the
illusion that we are inside the castle on a stormy snowy night in the first
third of the past century. Stage manager Laura Lynne Knowles keeps all weapons
of mass destruction in their proper places. For the period between Halloween
and Thanksgiving, this perfectly insane comedy is in the appropriately antique theater. Please don’t reveal the victim, the killer,
or the ending. That would be telling! Give
your friends tickets to this show so they can discover themselves the
attraction of murder on the Connecticut River.

The Game’s Afoot runs
through November 19th, 2017. Performance
times are Wednesday and Sunday matinees at 2 pm. Evening performances are
Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30pm, Friday and Saturday at 8pm.

Tickets are $50
for adults; $45 for seniors; $22 for students and $17 for children and are
available by calling the Playhouse box office at 860-767-7318 or by visiting www.ivorytonplayhouse.org (Group rates are available by calling the box office for
information.) The Playhouse is located at 103 Main Street in Ivoryton,
Connecticut.

Million Dollar Quartet at Ivoryton Playhouse

Million Dollar Quartet at Ivoryton Playhouse

Actors Luke Darnell and Joe Callahan give a behind-the-scenes look at one of rock ‘n’ roll’s greatest nights, now taking the stage at Ivoryton Playhouse.
“This is all about the music that voiced a generation,” Callahan says. Million Dollar Quartet brings to life the one fateful night that found Callahan’s character, Jerry Lee Lewis, together with fellow rock ‘n’ roll greats Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley. As the performance starts, we travel back to 1956 and Ivoryton Playhouse transforms into the legendary Sun Records studio in Nashville, Tennessee.
A score jam-packed with rock’s greatest hits features crowd favorites from “Blue Suede Shoes” to “Great Balls of Fire”. Nominated for three 2010 Tony Awards, Million Dollar Quartet captures the freewheeling spirit of a once-in-a-lifetime jam session – and the turmoil, drama and excitement that followed....

Million Dollar Quartet at Ivoryton Playhouse

published:02 Jun 2017

views:2248

Actors Luke Darnell and Joe Callahan give a behind-the-scenes look at one of rock ‘n’ roll’s greatest nights, now taking the stage at Ivoryton Playhouse.
“This is all about the music that voiced a generation,” Callahan says. Million Dollar Quartet brings to life the one fateful night that found Callahan’s character, Jerry Lee Lewis, together with fellow rock ‘n’ roll greats Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley. As the performance starts, we travel back to 1956 and Ivoryton Playhouse transforms into the legendary Sun Records studio in Nashville, Tennessee.
A score jam-packed with rock’s greatest hits features crowd favorites from “Blue Suede Shoes” to “Great Balls of Fire”. Nominated for three 2010 Tony Awards, Million Dollar Quartet captures the freewheeling spirit of a once-in-a-lifetime jam session – and the turmoil, drama and excitement that followed....

Little Shop of Horrors at Ivoryton Playhouse

Little Shop of Horrors at Ivoryton Playhouse

Meet Austin Costello, puppeteer for the Ivoryton Playhouse’s production of Little Shop of Horrors. Austin brings to life the puppet of Audrey II, a man-eating plant that offers Seymour Krelborn, a meek florist assistant, fame, fortune and the girl of his dreams. All Seymour has to do is keep feeding Audrey II…BLOOD. Austin says moving Audrey II, which he calls an “avocado with shark’s teeth,” requires moving his entire body up and down and jackhammering his arms. “It’s a big team effort,” he says, “and, of course, a ton of fun” to perform this big-hearted tongue-in-cheek musical that’s been devouring audiences for over 30 years. The music, in the style of early 1960s rock-and-roll, doo-wop and early Motown, includes several well-known tunes, including the title song, “Skid Row (Downtown)”, and “Suddenly, Seymour”....

Little Shop of Horrors at Ivoryton Playhouse

published:25 Sep 2015

views:782

Meet Austin Costello, puppeteer for the Ivoryton Playhouse’s production of Little Shop of Horrors. Austin brings to life the puppet of Audrey II, a man-eating plant that offers Seymour Krelborn, a meek florist assistant, fame, fortune and the girl of his dreams. All Seymour has to do is keep feeding Audrey II…BLOOD. Austin says moving Audrey II, which he calls an “avocado with shark’s teeth,” requires moving his entire body up and down and jackhammering his arms. “It’s a big team effort,” he says, “and, of course, a ton of fun” to perform this big-hearted tongue-in-cheek musical that’s been devouring audiences for over 30 years. The music, in the style of early 1960s rock-and-roll, doo-wop and early Motown, includes several well-known tunes, including the title song, “Skid Row (Downtown)”, and “Suddenly, Seymour”....

Memphis at Ivoryton Playhouse

Memphis at Ivoryton Playhouse

Memphis is a non-stop ball of energy that rocks and rolls through the seedy nightclubs, radio stations and recording studios in this 1950s Tennessee city following love, rock and blues.
Actors Carson Higgins and Renée Jackson talk about how their characters’ dreams and love of music bring them together; and how the close-minded views of loved ones threaten to tear them apart.
Carson Higgins’s fictional character Huey Calhoun is based on “Daddy-O” Dewey Phillips, one of the first DJs to play black music in the 1950s and a leading Memphis radio personality. Huey is a fun guy who just loves “this new rock ‘n’ roll music” and wants to get it into the ears of everyone he can. Renée Jackson’s character, Felicia Farrel is an up-and-coming R & B, Rock ‘n’ Roll and Blues singer who is trying to make her dreams come true in the 1950s when everything was very black and white. The two embark on an affair that, as they become rising stars, is challenged by ambition and the outside world that doesn’t want to accept their love.
Memphis makes lightweight of a serious issue with music that will keep you thoroughly entertained and dancing in your seat from the first song to the last....

Memphis at Ivoryton Playhouse

published:07 Aug 2015

views:1959

Memphis is a non-stop ball of energy that rocks and rolls through the seedy nightclubs, radio stations and recording studios in this 1950s Tennessee city following love, rock and blues.
Actors Carson Higgins and Renée Jackson talk about how their characters’ dreams and love of music bring them together; and how the close-minded views of loved ones threaten to tear them apart.
Carson Higgins’s fictional character Huey Calhoun is based on “Daddy-O” Dewey Phillips, one of the first DJs to play black music in the 1950s and a leading Memphis radio personality. Huey is a fun guy who just loves “this new rock ‘n’ roll music” and wants to get it into the ears of everyone he can. Renée Jackson’s character, Felicia Farrel is an up-and-coming R & B, Rock ‘n’ Roll and Blues singer who is trying to make her dreams come true in the 1950s when everything was very black and white. The two embark on an affair that, as they become rising stars, is challenged by ambition and the outside world that doesn’t want to accept their love.
Memphis makes lightweight of a serious issue with music that will keep you thoroughly entertained and dancing in your seat from the first song to the last....

Chicago

Chicago

Take a sneak peak at Ivoryton Playhouse’s dazzling production of CHICAGO and see why actresses Stacey Harris and Lyn Phillistine are thrilled to be playing Velma Kelly and Roxie Heart.
This tale of fame, fortune and all that jazz will have you mesmerized with one show-stopping song after another and the most astonishing dancing you’ve ever seen. Set in prohibition-era Chicago, it brings to life the idea of the “celebrity criminal,” which makes it more than relevant for today. The #1 longest-running American musical in Broadway history, CHICAGO won six Tony Awards® in 1997, a Grammy® and was turned into an Oscar®-winning film. Experience all the excitement at the Ivoryton Playhouse’s production....

Chicago

published:01 Jul 2016

views:2156

Take a sneak peak at Ivoryton Playhouse’s dazzling production of CHICAGO and see why actresses Stacey Harris and Lyn Phillistine are thrilled to be playing Velma Kelly and Roxie Heart.
This tale of fame, fortune and all that jazz will have you mesmerized with one show-stopping song after another and the most astonishing dancing you’ve ever seen. Set in prohibition-era Chicago, it brings to life the idea of the “celebrity criminal,” which makes it more than relevant for today. The #1 longest-running American musical in Broadway history, CHICAGO won six Tony Awards® in 1997, a Grammy® and was turned into an Oscar®-winning film. Experience all the excitement at the Ivoryton Playhouse’s production....

The Seven Year Itch at Ivoryton Playhouse - October 30th - November 17th

David Conaway, a cast member of the Ivoryton Plahouse production of the George Axelrod\'s Broadway hit The Seven Year Itch talks about the play\'s timeless theme: mid-life crisis and \"what happens to a marriage after seven years of people pretty much taking each other for granted.\"
This fabulous funny farce from the 1950s takes a humorous look at the problems of Richard Sherman, a typical married man whose wife and son have gone to the beach for the summer. Alone in the Manhattan apartment, he is unprepared for the arrival of a stunning new upstairs neighbor. His overactive imagination adds to the laughs as the audience watches him wrestle with desire, conscience, insecurity--and a 22-year-old woman who\'s relishing some newfound freedom in her first New York apartment.
http://www.ivorytonplayhouse.org/our-season/the-seven-year-itch...

The Seven Year Itch at Ivoryton Playhouse - October 30th - November 17th

published:31 Oct 2013

views:1594

David Conaway, a cast member of the Ivoryton Plahouse production of the George Axelrod\'s Broadway hit The Seven Year Itch talks about the play\'s timeless theme: mid-life crisis and \"what happens to a marriage after seven years of people pretty much taking each other for granted.\"
This fabulous funny farce from the 1950s takes a humorous look at the problems of Richard Sherman, a typical married man whose wife and son have gone to the beach for the summer. Alone in the Manhattan apartment, he is unprepared for the arrival of a stunning new upstairs neighbor. His overactive imagination adds to the laughs as the audience watches him wrestle with desire, conscience, insecurity--and a 22-year-old woman who\'s relishing some newfound freedom in her first New York apartment.
http://www.ivorytonplayhouse.org/our-season/the-seven-year-itch...

A Mile of Sculptures in Ivoryton, Connecticut

A Mile of Sculptures in Ivoryton, Connecticut

You may have noticed many new sculptures showing up on the lawns of a number of Ivoryton homes and businesses recently.
The Hollycroft Foundation, located in Ivoryton, set up a \'living museum\' along Main Street of a number of sculptures from world renowned artists. They call the exhibit \"The Sculpture Mile\" Distributed by Tubemogul....

A Mile of Sculptures in Ivoryton, Connecticut

published:25 Jun 2009

views:161

You may have noticed many new sculptures showing up on the lawns of a number of Ivoryton homes and businesses recently.
The Hollycroft Foundation, located in Ivoryton, set up a \'living museum\' along Main Street of a number of sculptures from world renowned artists. They call the exhibit \"The Sculpture Mile\" Distributed by Tubemogul....

Actors Luke Darnell and Joe Callahan give a behind-the-scenes look at one of rock ‘n’ roll’s greatest nights, now taking the stage at Ivoryton Playhouse.
“This is all about the music that voiced a generation,” Callahan says. Million Dollar Quartet brings to life the one fateful night that found Ca

Meet Austin Costello, puppeteer for the Ivoryton Playhouse’s production of Little Shop of Horrors. Austin brings to life the puppet of Audrey II, a man-eating plant that offers Seymour Krelborn, a meek florist assistant, fame, fortune and the girl of his dreams. All Seymour has to do is keep feeding

Memphis is a non-stop ball of energy that rocks and rolls through the seedy nightclubs, radio stations and recording studios in this 1950s Tennessee city following love, rock and blues.
Actors Carson Higgins and Renée Jackson talk about how their characters’ dreams and love of music bring them toge

Take a sneak peak at Ivoryton Playhouse’s dazzling production of CHICAGO and see why actresses Stacey Harris and Lyn Phillistine are thrilled to be playing Velma Kelly and Roxie Heart.
This tale of fame, fortune and all that jazz will have you mesmerized with one show-stopping song after another a

David Conaway, a cast member of the Ivoryton Plahouse production of the George Axelrod\'s Broadway hit The Seven Year Itch talks about the play\'s timeless theme: mid-life crisis and \"what happens to a marriage after seven years of people pretty much taking each other for granted.\"
This fabulous funn

You may have noticed many new sculptures showing up on the lawns of a number of Ivoryton homes and businesses recently.
The Hollycroft Foundation, located in Ivoryton, set up a \'living museum\' along Main Street of a number of sculptures from world renowned artists. They call the exhibit \"The Sculp

www.ivorytonplayhouse.org
It’s Saturday Night Fever: The Musical at The Ivoryton Playhouse this August 9th through September 3rd!
It’s the late 70s and disco is here!
Tickets are on sale now! Call 860-767-7318 or book online at www.ivorytonplayhouse.org
Television Commercial produced by:
NEW DAY

Looking to purchase new construction in beautiful Essex, Connecticut? Welcome to Essex Glen: 26 new free standing homes nestled on a 11 acre picturesque hillside, just off Bokum Road. Take the virtual tour of our Ivoryton model! For more information, visit us at http://www.essexglen.com

DREAMGIRLS is a show about a time in American musical history when what is called rhythm and blues blended with other styles of popular music creating a new American sound. Act One is set in the fabulous sixties-a time when we were still screaming at Elvis and listening to the Beatles, but were dan